"Turn," he called out. In response, Z23, Graf Spee, Graf Zeppelin, Tirpitz and he turned so that their backs were facing the sun.
"It's nice doing nothing," he said, turning to Z23 "I miss this."
"Well, enjoy it while it lasts," he said "in another two days, school will be starting."
"Huh?" asked Z23, her expression changing from blissful to troubled, as if that was the last thing she wanted to hear.
000000000000000
Now that the war was over, the question of what happens next became an all important one to address. It was important to have work that would involve as many members of the fleet as possible.
On one side the Commissions continued unabated. An extra supply of fuel and the cash requirements to change the theme of the dorm room ensured a number of the girls was always busy. Then came the subject of food, which also involved a significant portion of the fleet working daily to catch fish and prepare enough food for more than three hundred girls.
This was enough to keep at least half of the fleet busy. But the other half didn't have anything to do. On one hand, given that a war was just waged and won, everyone deserved a long period of rest and relaxation. On the other hand, too much of rest will make anyone lazy, which could prove problematic in the long run.
The answer came to him a couple weeks ago when he was playing with the children after they finished classes with Yorktown.
"Higher Commander," yelled Thatcher, while sitting on the Commanders shoulders. He in turn, stood on his toes and around the field as Unicorn, Foote, Spence, Charles Ausburne, Kisaragi, Mutsuki and the others chased him around.
"Children don't tire out the Commander alright," called Yorktown, who was seated underneath a tree and took a sheet out, where she laid down some sandwiches and slices of fruit. She watched the kids take turns riding on his back and after they tired him out, the group arrived at the mat and started consuming the snacks.
While the kids were eating and still playing, the Commander was lying on the grass.
"Commander," she said, chuckling at him pointing to some of the clouds in the sky "I know I've asked this many times but, don't you get tired of playing with the kids?"
"Nonsense," he replied "it reminds me of when I used to stay at a friend's place when it was the holidays. She had a family of two brothers and one sister so whenever the parents went out on a date or something, I'd be in charge of the kids. Speaking of which, have the kids ever built a pillow fort?"
"What's a pillow fort?" she asked "is it exactly like the name says?"
"It's not as big as an actual fort is," he replied "but it'll be another fun thing to do with the kids. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries or anything."
"What boundaries?" she asked "the kids love playing with you and I for one welcome the time I get to relax and unwind."
"Is it tiring?"
"At times, yes. I love the children and teaching them gives me a purpose but… at times I do wish I had some help. Initially it was only just the kids from the Eagle Union. Now that the Sakura Empire, Iron Blood and Royal Navy have joined, it takes considerable effort."
"Then let's do that," he said, rising up from the grass.
"Do what?"
"Get you your help," he replied "there's a teacher and the students. All we need is more teachers and we'll have a proper school in place."
"Um Commander," she said, pointing out a particular problem to his plan "we don't have the space for a school."
"Then we'll make one."
After that, it didn't take long for the Commander to design a two-story school building. Each floor had three classes with a locker room at the entrance for students. Both floors came equipped with a bathroom and the ground floor had a special room for the teachers.
As for the teachers, he had Lexington in charge of music, Kaga for mathematics, Friedrich for history, Ranger for physics, Hornet for Home Economics, Yat Sen for art, Vestal was the head nurse and Enterprise was in charge of physical training.
Vestal still remained in the hospital and was only needed in the event anything happened to the kids and Enterprise's physical training was just her letting the kids play around in the field. It did not at entail any form of actual physical training (much to the teacher's dismay).
With the teachers and students in place, construction work began. It took about two weeks to finish the project, reminding the Commander how efficient and fast the girls were.
Two days before the official launch
"My sister," said Kaga, down on one knee, with her head lowered "I have made the necessary arrangements for you. All that is left is to don the garments and invoke the sacred ritual."
"Thank you Kaga," said Akagi smiling and looking into the distance. All that she needed had unknowingly fallen into her lap. It would be foolish of her not to take advantage of this.
Day of the launch
Rather than dole out some crazy speech or cut the ribbon with a pair of ridiculously long scissors, the Commander simply inaugurated the school by being the first person to open the doors. With that done, the kids rushed into the building and nearly knocked him down. In an attempt to create some uniformity among the students, he also designed a uniform for the kids.
The girls had a long grey skirt, a white shirt and on top of the shirt was a light blue waistcoat with lines of white on the edges and a red tie.
"I just realized something," said Enterprise, to the Commander "this is a pretty nice occasion. Shouldn't we take a few photos of it?"
"Oh I already got that covered," he said, followed by him snapping his fingers. In response, a woman with short, black hair appeared out of nowhere. In her left hand was a camera with a large lens and in her right were multiple storage cards.
"You called?" asked Ark Royal.
"Go crazy, take as many pictures as you like," he said.
In response Ark Royal was about to leave but the Commander quickly stopped her.
"One more thing," he added, giving his command a little more thought.
"Let's keep things PG alright."
Ark Royal was visibly disappointed upon hearing this and begrudgingly switched out her large camera lens with a regular one. With that done, she went inside the building, no doubt summoning the motivation needed to do the job, now that the wind was knocked out of her proverbial sails.
"Commander?" called out Enterprise, "is it a good idea giving Ark Royal free reign like that?"
"That's why I have Friedrich."
00000000000000000
"Target is in place," said Shokaku "your orders my lady?"
"None needed. Thank you Shokaku," said Akagi.
In a change from her usual red skirt, white top and black cape, Akagi had an enlarged version of the school's uniform made for her. She had a small black bag on her side and a piece of toast with jam packed in a box. Upon hearing the Commander was coming down the street, she took her position at a nearby street, took out the slice of toasted jam and held a portion of it in her mouth.
It was time to invoke the ancient ritual.
"Oh no," she said, pretending to run in a dainty way and look desperate at the same time "I'm late for school."
As she neared the turning, she saw the Commander and 'accidentally' bumped into him.
"Kyaah," she said, pretending to feign injury when she fell on her behind.
"Oh no Commander don't look," she said and covered the lower part of her skirt. "You saw it didn't you, now I can't get married."
Then, she covered her face and pretended to cry.
'That's right,' she thought 'this is exactly how the ancient ritual went in Amagi's books. All's that's left to do is for the Commander to reach out and pick me up and we'll be together forever."
"Oh woe is me," she said "my maidenly heart…."
Usually by now he would have actually helped her up. But when no help came, Akagi stopped her sobbing.
"Huh?" she said, getting to her feet. At this moment, she noticed the Commander was lying in the dirt a good distance from where the two met.
"Ah that's right," she said to herself "I forgot about the strength difference."
After Enterprise heard what had happened, Akagi was banned from the island for at least a week.
0000000000000000000
Three weeks after the school had opened, the Commander was summoned to the research division to meet with Akashi, Shiranui, Purin and Buri.
"It's not often I get called here," he said, "is there anything of concern?"
"Nothing like that Commander," said Akashi, alleviating all concerns he had upon entering the base.
"There is something, that we'd like to tell you," said Buri.
"Take a look at this Commander," said Purin and alongside her sister, the pair typed a string of letters and commands onto the keyboard behind them, causing multiple holographic images that were too quick for him to figure out.
"During our retrofitting process and improving the weapons for all the girls…." began Purin.
"…..the research had an unintended side effect of creating five 'tools'," continued Buri "however, because we did not have much information about these tools, we had to shelve them till a later date."
"Now that the dust has settled," continued Purin "we'd like to bring these tools to your attention."
The slew of data started to slow down and the Commander saw five familiar objects appearing on screen. A mic, a guitar, a bass guitar, a keyboard and a drum set.
"Girls those things aren't tools, they're musical instruments."
"We know that," said Akashi in a matter-of-fact way "what we wanted to tell you is that we've found five girls in the fleet that can be fitted with these new instruments."
"Is that right? I'd like to meet those girls if you don't mind."
"Can we get this over with quickly?" asked Shiranui "I have inventory to evaluate.
Without taking too long, the selected girls had assembled in the research room. There was Akagi, Hipper, Cleveland, Sheffield and Saint Louis. Purin and Buri went in first, explaining why they were called and what was required. Then, the Commander came in and asked them if they were interested in testing out these instruments.
After they all agreed, the five girls were fitted with the instruments. With that done, the group headed to the back of the base to test out the changes.
"Ready girls?" he asked.
Cleveland formed a pair of energy drums, Akagi formed a guitar, Sheffield formed a piano, Saint Louis formed a mic and Hipper formed a bass guitar. Once they got the go ahead from the Commander, they all started playing the instruments.
He expected the girls to be a little bad, given that none of them had any experience playing musical instruments, but he was honestly surprised at how well the group jelled together. Cleveland set the tempo with her drums, Akagi and Hipper played at the same speed, Sheffield provided an extra level of flair with the piano and Saint Louis' voice was pretty captivating to hear. She may not have sung any actual songs, sticking to loud hums, but her voice really did bring the performance together.
As the Commander watched them perform, his mind already planning what to do next, Akashi imagined how much of a profit she'd be making from whatever ideas her leader came up with. When the group was done, he started clapping in appreciation of their effort.
"Interesting," said Purin, looking at the portable computer she brought along for the test "it seems that their performance is directly linked to their emotional state."
"So the better their mood, the better the performance?" he asked.
"Yep," she replied "the muse system…."
"Muse system?" he repeated.
"The name of the tools the girls are using."
"I like it," said Sheffield
"It has a formal yet alluring vibe to it," added Akagi.
"As I was saying, the muse system has a better output when the girls are in a better mood," said Purin.
"Now that we've all shown that we can play music, what's next?" asked Hipper.
"Next," he replied, stroking his chin "next is where the fun begins."
000000000000000
"You're going to what now?" asked Saint Sheffield after hearing the Commander's plans.
"A concert," he replied to the group who were now seated in his office room "you five will main event the concert and we'll have plenty of other talent brought in as well."
"But where…." Said Cleveland.
"Commander," said Hiryuu from the Commander's tablet "we got the message."
"YOU ALREADY TOLD THEM?" shouted Hipper.
"Well duh," he said, as he and Hiryuu looked at the girls, wondering why they were so surprised "things have already been set in motion now. There's no point trying to stop this train."
"What do you need Soryuu and I for Commander?" she asked through the screen.
"Spread the word," he replied "In month we're going to have a huge concert here, with the main event being this beautiful group you see here. We'll call them 'The Museicians.'
He continually raised his eyebrows up and down, in the hopes that the girls with him and the girls listening would catch his joke. Sadly, none of them did.
"How about, Polaris?" asked Hiryuu.
"Oh I like that," said Saint Louis.
"Yes, let's go with that," said Sheffield "it sounds a lot better than the other ideas."
Feeling a stabbing pain in his chest, the Commander quickly shook off the barb made at him and continued. "But I want more groups to come and perform. It doesn't matter if you're a solo act or a group, just register your name and the rest will be sorted out."
"Alright Commander," said Hiryuu saluting him in response "we'll make sure to tell all the girls in the fleet."
"Good," he said, nodding "wait, also make sure the prizes this time are something normal. I don't like being auctioned off like what happened during the beach event."
"Ahahahahah," said Soryuu now coming onto the screen "Commander why would you think we'd do that?"
"I can see Hiryuu pushing away a stack of papers behind her," he replied. This was followed by an uneasy ten seconds of silence between the trio.
"Ah, we're going through a tunnel," shouted Soryuu and shut off the monitor.
"With this," he said, tapping his fingers together "things are moving into place."
"We're also going to need matching clothes Commander," suggested Cleveland.
"I'll go call Lexington. I'm sure she can whip something up," he said, shooting out the room.
00000000000
True to their word, Hiryuu and Soryuu started telling everyone in the fleet about the upcoming event. As this happened, the Commander was tasked with helping the group Polaris to train and prepare for the event.
"Come on guys what happened to you?" he asked after hearing their latest attempt "everyone was out of sync, the lyrics were all over the place…."
"Well if someone just kept in tempo with the rest instead of just going off on her own…" said Hipper.
"I was following the tempo," stated Akagi "you're the only one that's falling behind."
As he watched the pair now argue, he noticed Eugen and Wales were walking by. They stopped when they saw him and waved out to greet him.
"Hey Commander," said Eugen "having trouble?"
"Yeah," he replied lowering his head "the girls were working so well together a couple days back."
"Hmm," said Eugen, noticing Hipper talking down everyone else. Taking a little initiative, she went to Hipper.
"And another thing…" shouted Hipper.
"Glowworm," interrupted Eugen.
Hipper almost immediately screamed in terror and quickly ran behind the Commander.
"There ya go," said Eugen with a smug look "anytime Hippy gets too lippy, just say Glowworm and she'll fold."
"I must admit that's a little too much don't you think?" asked Wales.
000000000000000000
About a week later and the Commander was going through the tablet, looking for the applications. He was confused when he found that there were no applications at all. This was why he called Hiryuu and Soryuu in an attempt to figure out the problem.
"It's not a problem Commander," said Hiryuu "we did what you asked, but, no one's applied."
"Is there any reason why?"
The two exchanged worried looks at each other then turned to answer him.
"It's because they're nervous,"
"I've seen these girls face down giant ships, run through a storm of fire, bullets and explosions."
"But that's different," said Soryuu "when it comes to fighting, the girls are up for a fight any time. But this is different. They're nervous that if they get on stage and perform, no one might like it."
"If that happens, morale will take a really bad hit," added Hiryuu
The Commander paused for a moment, thinking about things from their perspective.
"I understand that they're nervous," he said, "tell them it's not compulsory to apply or anything alright. If they want to then they can. Also, for whatever its worth, tell everyone that no matter what happens, I'll be there to cheer for them."
"Really?" asked Hiryuu, her ears perking up a little "you'll cheer for all the performers?"
"Of course," he replied "I got no music talent myself but I recognize the effort. And I will definitely appreciate the hard work the put in."
000000000000000
After Hiryuu and Soryuu uploaded a video of the Commander saying he'd support and appreciate everyone who performed, the applications started pouring in. At first, they were both very much surprised by the sudden rise in responses, but soon realized why it happened. Considering his popularity among the girls, held him in high regard. As a result, hearing him support them, regardless of the outcome certainly boosted the morale of many girls, ensuring their participation in the event.
Now that there were enough girls, started arranging the groups in the necessary order.
Meanwhile, the Commander's visit to Lexington proved successful and she had designed and made uniforms for Polaris. Once that was done, the girls were brought in for a fitting session.
Overall, the uniform was a white waistcoat with a tie and a black skirt at medium length. However, there were variations based on each girl. Akagi for example had a red tie, Saint Louis had on a short black coast, which she wore only halfway, Hipper's tie was black with a cross on it and Cleveland had a tie alternating in red and white, with a pair of short pants. Cleveland was also the only one in the group that did not wear leggings.
"Well Commander," asked Lexington, "what do you think of my latest creation?"
"I think it's great," he replied "better question is what do you girls think about it?"
"It does make me feel a little to exposed," said Saint Louis "it's not often I wear such little clothing."
"I know what you mean," said Cleveland with a nervous chuckle "how come I'm the only one here without any leggings?"
"Because its cruel to hide legs like that," replied Lexington.
"Huh? W-w-what's that supposed to mean?" asked Cleveland, blushing at the comment.
"I'm not the only one who thinks that, the Commander also feels the same way."
"Huh?" he shouted, turning to Lexington, then turned to Cleveland, who was blushing even more now.
"C-Commander," she said looking at him "d-do you really think I look that good?"
Thanks to Lexington's reply, he was in a tough spot. If he said no, it might have an effect on Cleveland's morale and thereby the group. But if he said yes, then he'd sound like a pervert and that might affect his image.
In the end, he had no choice but to take the risk.
"Yes Cleveland," he said, calmly "you do look pretty in those clothes. I wouldn't have used the same words as Lexington might have…."
Lexington chuckled a little at that comment.
"…. But yes, you do look nice. In fact, all of you look great in those clothes," he added, in an attempt to keep from any rumors about him from forming.
"Have you started working on outfits for the other girls?" he asked, turning to Lexington.
"I only received the mail from Huryuu and Soryuu today," she replied "I'll of course get started on it tomorrow."
"Thanks, I'm counting on you. If you need any help, get Saratoga in on this as well."
000000000000
Between managing the girls and overseeing production of the event, the Commander was busy for most of the day, with small moments of rest here and there. This in turn meant that much of his duties fell into the hands of Z23 and Belfast.
The second week into concert preparation and Z23 found herself seated on a park bench eating lunch Friedrich prepared for them. She took a moment to relax a little, her mind drifting off as she watched the clouds.
"Nimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii," shouted a voice from the distance, getting closer with each second. Z23 froze, realizing only three girls in the world used that name on her.
It came as no surprise to her that she was soon knocked into the ground by a young girl with light-purple hair, tied up. Her usual attire was replaced by a white sailor's uniform and a pink ascot tied around her.
"Javelin!" exclaimed Z23 "you're…. here."
"Of course I am," said the girl who was on top of her "and I didn't come alone either."
"Javelin pointed behind her and Z23 saw a girl in light-brown hair, carrying a white-haired girl with bunny ears and pigtails.
"Ayanami…. And Laffey. You're all here,"
"Yep," said Javelin pulling her up "how I've missed you for so long."
"Where were you girls?" asked Z23, "I didn't see you at all during the war."
"We were there," said Ayanami and dropped Laffey onto the bench "just with everything going on and you looking so busy, we didn't want to disturb you."
"But now, the starter squad is finally back together again," declared Javelin.
"Who thought of a name like that?" asked Ayanami.
'Probably the Commander,' thought Z23. He was terrible at naming things.
"There's also something else Javelin wanted," said Laffey, rising up and showing some life in her.
"I'm getting to that," said Javelin and turned to Z23 "Nimi…"
"I'm not Nimi"
"Nimi, let's form an idol group and participate in the event."
"What?" said Z23, taken aback "but…. But…. I have work."
"Leave that and come with us," said Javelin.
"We already submitted our names and are now going to meet Lexington for a fitting," added Ayanami.
"You already told her," shouted Z23, but it was too late. Despite her reluctance, she was joining the group.
000000000000000000000
The time was night, the mood in the air was electric. The crowd had gathered and with multiple floodlights shining in the sky like beacons, it was time to start the event.
The stage was set and the crowd had arrived. Everyone was all muttering and murmuring amongst themselves, wondering what was going to happen.
Then, the stage infront of them released a puff of smoke and from it, emerged Hiryuu and Soryuu, placed back to back, each carrying a mic in their hand.
"Welcome one and all," said Hiryuu "to the first ever music concert in the world, or as well call it…."
"Crescendo of Polaris," they said together.
"This concert will see musical talent all on display," said Soryuu "and what a line up we've got.
"But wait, there's more," added Hiryuu "among the participants, the three best will also receive a heap of prizes."
"Is one of those prizes the Commander?" shouted a voice from the crowd.
"Unfortunately no," said Soryuu, shaking her head, followed by a collective 'aw.'
"The Commander's not on the market but that shouldn't deter our performers here," said Hiryuu "also, let's introduce our panel of judges who will assess the performances and decide the three best of the night."
The spotlight then moved the left of three chairs placed a few feet away from the stage.
"Firstly," said Soryuu as a light shone on the chair "the leader of the Yorktown trio, this woman is a beloved teacher to the kids, give it up, for Yorktown."
"Hello everyone," said Yorktown, looking a little flustered "this is my first time and I'll try my best."
"Second," said Hiryuu and the spotlight moved to the second seat "known as the Dragon of Omens, this woman's imposing height is only as terrifying as the weapons she wields. Give it up for Friedrich."
"Hello all," said Friedrich with a gentle wave "I am looking forward to this event."
"And lastly," said Soryuu and the spotlight moved to the third seat "we all know him, we all fought for him and we'll never forgive him for making everyone cry, let's all say hello to the Comman…..der?"
As the light shone on him, everyone saw that the Commander had changed out of his regular outfit into something else. Instead of his usual clothes, he now had on a pair of jeans, a white shirt on top of which was a multicolored shirt that was unbuttoned, a headband which said 'I love Polaris' and glowsticks in-between his fingers.
"What?" he asked, noticing how the whole place got silent.
Needless to say, his reputation among the girls took a deep hit that day.
"Anyway," said Soryuu in an attempt to steer things back to normal "let's get on with the show."
"Everyone, let's put our hands together for the team of Hornet, San Diego, Downes and Cassin singing 'I am number one.'"
With that the concert began in full. The three judges gave their opinions and the next group was introduced.
"Next up is the starter squad singing 'adrenaline,'" declared Hiryuu. This was followed by Laffey, Javelin, Z23 and Ayanami giving an energetic and very lively performance. Once that was done, the four of them bowed and came forward.
"Good work all of you," said Yorktown, clapping "I admire the work you all put into this song."
"I commend how you were all able to coordinate those moves in such a short time," added Friedrich.
"Great work girls, I love it," said the Commander "And Z?"
"Yes?"
"I'm totally calling you Nimi from now on," he said with a devilish smile.
"Now comes the first solo performance of the night," said Soryuu "she's young and soft but her heart is as big as her dreams. Please give a warm welcome to Unicorn singing 'my night.'"
Unicorn slowly and nervously came up to the stage, followed by the music playing. Unlike her usual white dress, Unicorn this time wore on a deep blue, flowing dress that was yellow on the inside. She also tied her hair into two tails. She seemed a little hesitant at first, but after seeing the Commander smiling at her, she raised her mic up and started singing.
"Commander, quick question," said Friedrich, turning to him "why aren't you going overboard with Unicorn like you normally do?"
"Ah, well I already have something in place," he replied, pointing to the side of the stage. Friedrich turned in the direction he was pointing to and saw Ark Royal clicking away with her camera.
"I'm a proud older(self-proclaimed) brother," he said.
Unicorn finished her song and the trio provided their thoughts. She slowly made her way off stage
"Now let's give a round of applause to the group of Denver, Columbia, Monteplier and Cleveland, singing '13 battle stars,'" declared Hiryuu.
The song was a pretty energetic one and gave Cleveland the opportunity to display her vocal talent. It was the first song of the night that got the crowd also chanting in tempo and added more liveliness to the event.
"Like those stars you really shone out there tonight Cleveland," said Yorktown after her performance was done.
"A beautiful performance all around," said Friedrich "your sisters really do a good job helping you showcase your talents Cleveland."
"After this performance, I think everyone here loves you as much as your sisters do," added the Commander.
"Put your hands together for our next solo performer of the night. She's strong and stoic, a symbol of freedom and a beacon of hope. Give it up, for Enterprise singing 'Phantom 9.'"
Enterprise was still in the same clothes she always wore, except without the black coat. Unlike the other songs, this one was filled with drama and sadness. There was also some hope in the lyrics and plenty of romance. The trio of Yorktown, Friedrich and the Commander all came forward a little, captivated by the performance Enterprise was giving.
Once that was done, Enterprise bowed to everyone then walked off the stage.
"Now ladies, it's time for the main event," said Hiryuu and Soryuu together "they are energetic, they are beautiful and at last, they are here. Let's all cheer as loud as we can for the main event, POLARIS!"
The crowed erupted in cheers as the group of Akagi, Saint Louis, Hipper, Cleveland and Sheffield came on stage. Pretty much everyone continued cheering throughout their performance, which only had a positive effect on the girl's mental state.
After they were done, the Commander presented a bouquet of flowers to all of them, followed by a quick handshake and a hug. Only Akagi wanted to keep the hug going for a little longer.
After the final performance of Polaris, it was time to dole out the prizes.
"In third place is…", said Hiryuu "…. 13 battle stars." The group came up and took their prizes, which looked like cosmetic changes to their weapons.
"In second place is…," said Soryuu "…My night." Unicorn seemed too nervous to come up on stage and get the prize on her own and so, the Commander accompanied her.
"And finally, the grand prize," said Hiryuu "the winner of tonight's first ever concert goes to…"
"…. Enterprise and Phantom 9."
Everyone in the audience cheered for Enterprise as she came up to take her prize. The judges also gave her a standing ovation, appreciating her performance and her efforts.
Watching the crowd and everyone cheer so loudly for Enterprise told the Commander that the event was a success.
(AN: Congratulations. If you have been following this story since chapter 1 then you have unlocked the 'True Ending' chapter. For real though, the next chapter will cover the Commander's last and most important adventure.)